Leading with research
Community leaders from all sectors value our role as a research and thought partner now more than ever as they seek to advance the wellbeing and futures of young people.
We deploy rigorous research practices, including mixed-method research and data-driven analysis, to create knowledge that our partners can use for strategic decision-making and action. Then, we’re there to help organizations assess whether those actions have made a meaningful difference for the youth and communities they serve.
We can help you
Understand the challenges facing young people
Develop and implement strategic programs, policies, and practices
Document program implementation successes and challenges
Measure the impact of your work over time
Improve your team's ability to collect and work with data
Connect with peers to discuss and share best practices
Executive Director Amy Gerstein shares how the Gardner Center supports the communities around Stanford.
What sets us apart
The Gardner Center's Youth Action Research Fellowship can be deployed within our existing partnerships to gather critical information about how best to serve youth in your community.
Fostering youth-led research
The Gardner Center has a particular strength in helping its partners hear from community members who are often overlooked or difficult to reach, including young people.
Traditional methods to advance research about youth tend to center adult researchers as the “experts” and young people as the subjects. Since its founding, the Gardner Center has turned this model on its head — tapping young people to serve as researchers about the issues most important to them and their peers. This approach creates more authentic and honest insights while helping student researchers build leadership and communication skills.
Gardner Center Deputy Director Jorge Ruiz de Velasco delivers a welcome address during the annual gathering of the California Learning Collaborative on Alternative Education.
Building communities of practice
The Gardner Center is uniquely situated to bring together groups that share common interests but might not have a structured way to collaborate, particularly around issues relating to school reform.
For example, the center convenes the California Learning Collaborative on Alternative Education so that leaders across school districts can share what's working in their alternative high schools and learn from each other to improve their own effectiveness. It has also taken a leadership role in facilitating the adoption of the Linked Learning model in California high schools, as well as supporting school districts as they create community schools within their systems.
